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SALT LAKE CITY — A man shot and killed by police near the parking lot of a Sandy TRAX station on Tuesday was wanted for allegedly hitting a West Valley police officer while trying to flee from police last month.
On Wednesday, police identified Bryan Keith Liles, 31, of Spanish Fork, as the man shot by police. Court records show Liles has a lengthy criminal history and had outstanding warrants for his arrest.
It was just a year ago that Liles — who had long struggled with drug addiction — begged a judge to give him another chance to beat his addiction, court records show.
Tuesday's shooting unfolded as a task force from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was attempting to serve an arrest warrant and had been tracking their suspect, according to police.
The wanted person was spotted in a vehicle with others near 180 E. 8960 South in Sandy, just east of the Historic Sandy TRAX Station.
Few details have been released about what happened at that point. Witnesses reported hearing multiple shots. The BMW the group was in ended up in the parkway of the nearby Montessori of Sandy.
The school was still open at the time with children inside. One parent was picking up her child and putting him in the car when the events unfolded, said the owner of the school who identified herself as Sunita.
"She saw it all," she said. "They only thing I can say is I'm so happy my kids, my staff, parents, all were safe."
It was not known Wednesday if Liles was the target of the warrant, whether he was the driver, or what prompted officers to shoot.
Related:
Man dies following police shooting near Sandy TRAX station
A 30-year-old man shot by federal agents near the Historic Sandy TRAX station Tuesday afternoon has died from his injuries, police say.According to state court records, Liles had several warrants out of his arrest for probation violation.
Liles was charged in a series of cases in 2016. He resolved three of them simultaneously in 2017 in a plea deal. Liles was convicted in one case of theft by receiving stolen property, possession of a weapon by a restricted person in another case, and had several counts of drug distribution dismissed as part of the deal, according to court records.
In another case, he pleaded guilty in 2017 to attempted theft or transfer of a stolen vehicle.
Liles was placed on probation and ordered to complete drug treatment.
As part of his presentence report, Liles wrote a letter to the judge in March 2017 apologizing for his behavior.
"Blame is all on me and only me. Only thing I can say is I am a 30-year-old man struggling with addiction and I need help. I am a good person that just makes really bad decision(s) when I am active in my drug addiction," Liles wrote in his letter.
He also noted that he is "so far from a violent person," the letter states. Liles told the judge he was "begging" for an alternative to incarceration.
"I need and want some kind of structure and treatment to help guide me and help me gain the tools I need so desperately to get and stay sober," the letter states.
Liles, who is originally from Everett, Washington, told the court he moved to Utah with his fiancee to try and get away from the bad influences that were also getting him in trouble in his home state. According to court records, he was convicted of 10 felonies in Washington from 2000 to 2012.
He said in his letter that after arriving in Utah, he at first was doing well, but then went into a "full-on out of control spiral back into my addiction," according to the letter. "I have a burning desire to change."
Court records indicate that Liles was complying with his probation and making progress for several months. But by the end of December 2017, Liles had stopped checking in with Adult Probation and Parole and failed to complete a substance abuse evaluation.
Then on Feb. 6, West Valley police spotted a suspicious vehicle in a parking stall at the Egate Apartments, 2309 W. Fly Catchers Lane, with two men inside. As officers approached, the driver tried to speed away, hitting an officer in the leg and hip in the process, according to court documents. The car was later found abandoned at 1851 W. Parkway Blvd. The passenger was located and questioned. The driver was identified as Liles.
